Spies, Scandals, and Sultans

Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Concerning the circumstances of the Ottoman Sultanate Chapter 3 Almabayn Chapter 4 The Chief Secretary's Department in Almabayn Chapter 5 The Almabaynjiyya Department in Almabayn Chapter 6 The Department of the Chief Eunuch in Almabayn Chapter 7 The Department of the Yavaran in Almabayn Chapter 8 Spies Chapter 9 Anniversary of the Sultan's Accession Chapter 10 Spies (II) Chapter 11 Splendor of the Caliphate and Magnificence of the Sultanate Chapter 12 Appointment to Ottoman offices Chapter 13 Court Proceedings in Istanbul Chapter 14 Shaykhs Chapter 15 Writing Ma Hunalik Chapter 16 The Sultan Chapter 17 Deposition of Sultans Chapter 18 Glossary

Roger Allen is professor of Arabic and comparative literature at the University of Pennsylvania. He is an editor of several journals, including the Journal of Arabic Literature, Literature East & West, and Middle Eastern Literatures and was the Arabic editor for the series of encyclopedia volumes, World Literature in the 20th Century. He lives in Philadelphia.

This is an extremely important-and exceedingly well-done-translation. The text itself is surprisingly entertaining and even funny in places, as the original author often employs fascinating hearsay anecdotes to help make a point. Allen's introduction masterfully puts the text into context for the non-specialist and successfully explains why, despite the author's biases, the text should be read as more than mere polemic or diatribe. By contextualizing the key players' affiliations and interests in the useful introduction, Allen helps the reader read between the lines of the text. -- Christopher Stone, Hunter College, City University of New York Spies, Scandals, and Sultans provides a window on to the pomp and opulence of the Ottoman court in its twilight. The introduction is excellent. It outlines the life of the author and situates the serendipitously discovered book that the Ottomans banned, in its time. -- Miriam Cooke, Duke University In the dark days at the end of the glorious Ottoman Empire, a well-traveled Egyptian observer wrote such a devastating account of the failures of the Ottoman court that his book was condemned to destruction. Fortunately for those interested in the late Ottoman period, at least one copy survived to be rendered into felicitous English by Roger Allen. The text brings the Ottoman court to life before our eyes, through detailed scenes of ceremonies, court sessions, schooling, the interpretation of dreams, and diplomatic audiences. The eunuchs, shaykhs, viziers, slave-girls, judges, military officers, ambassadors, and all ranks of courtiers are described through stories of their political actions and intrigues, with special attention paid to the power struggles intrinsic to an empire under constant threat. Roger Allen has brought forward a treasure of historical and literary import. -- Sylvia Wing Onder, Georgetown University Roger Allen's translation of Ibrahim Al-Muwaylihi's Ma Hunalik is an important contribution to the field, not